An all-female cast and crew walked away with the grand prize of Film Prize Junior at Artbreak on Sunday.

The winning short film “If You Only Knew” was directed by Maria Vu and Olivia Noonan from Caddo​ Magnet High School.

“We thought we had a chance but then, we saw how amazing the other films were, we were unsure that we could win,” said Maria Vu, a senior at Caddo Magnet High. “When we heard our names, honestly, we just sat there. I’m not sure we totally comprehended what was going on.”

Olivia Noonan, Maria’s co-director, said their journey to make this film started with their experience with the Caddo Career Center.

“We owe a lot to the Caddo Career Center and Casey Habich, who used to teach there,” said Noonan. “Making this film was a roller coaster of ups and downs, so getting that confidence and support was really important to us.”

“If Only You Knew” won digital media grant of $5,000 cash (awarded to the winner’s school),$1,000 in cash for the school to celebrate the winning filmmakers’ achievement, as well as a $1,000 reward for Arden Kennedy, the teacher who mentored the winning filmmakers. The winner was decided by a combination of the festival audience vote and a jury made up of Film Prize Finalist filmmakers.

“Students and teachers are already talking about their projects for next year,” said Wendell Riley, the Film Prize Foundation’s Film Prize Junior Student/Teacher Liaison. “That’s probably the best indication of the growing influence and impact of Film Prize Junior.”

Film Prize Junior was started by high school senior Tobias Kallenberg. The competition, an offshoot of the Louisiana Film Prize, started with the aim of incentivizing students to become engaged in the storytelling process, increase their media literacy, and spur participation in the collaborative, multidisciplinary art form of filmmaking and entrepreneurial ingenuity.

“This year was amazing,” said Kallenberg. “Not only were the films great, the enthusiasm of both the filmmakers and the attendees at the festival was palpable. I’m excited to see more and more schools begin to take film seriously as both an art form, and a way to teach vital entrepreneurial skills. I’m very proud to have helped start this important competition.”